Beginning Figure Drawing – Josh ChuziWednesday | 9/13-11/15

Beginning Figure Drawing

Josh Chuzi’s research and teaching goals revolve around discovering relationships between culture and design. As a designer and a fine artist, he is naturally drawn toward the disciplines and philosophies of psychology, sociology, and art history because they allow him to explore how communication’s intent and meaning change with context over time. His teaching strategy, like my research approach, fancies the qualitative because it stretches over many different disciplines, all at once.

Constructing context and relevance for an interdisciplinary audience requires an interdisciplinary approach that requires a certain level of whimsy and creativity to paint a clear and complete picture. The methodologies Chuzi employs are those that seek to build disciplinary bridges, and make connections across understandings.

Whether teaching students or conducting research, Chuzi’s goal is to be a problem finder – a question generator – not a problem solver. Figuring out the right questions to ask, though, takes practice and guidance. With a degree in studio art processes and another in human anatomy, he is more interested in discovering how the compositional make-up of things allow them to work together than in the final product, itself.

He approaches teaching and research as a sculptor; it isn’t enough to simply start modeling – there needs to be an intimate, 360-degree understanding of how and why the desired “thing” –physical or theoretical – is formed to exist in a specific time and place before it can be designed most effectively. This framework depends upon a thoughtful process of drawings and sketches, an organizing logic of relationships (mind-mapping), thoughtful reflection, and refinement before there can ever be product. Creativity and vision, then, become the connective tissue.

Spray Fixative, Odorless, or Aquanet hair spray – for use at home only!

Suggested Additional Materials, not critical, but good to have. Will discuss in class.

Plumb bob

Drawing board with built in clips for 18 x 24 pads

Gum Eraser (brown) or White Eraser, Steadtler Mars

Hard White chalk or Dry white conte

Gain technical mastery and intuitive understanding of depicting the human form. Working from quick gesture drawings to longer, more considered poses and drawings, you will learn to incorporate proportion and anatomy; use light and shade to depict volume; and line and tone to describe planar changes in the body.
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